Welcome to
Special Collections &
University Archives

For more than thirty-five years, Special Collections & University Archives at Stony Brook University has been an invaluable resource for the university community, visiting scholars, and the general public. The Department’s holdings include more than 10,000 printed volumes, 350 manuscript collections, and 650 historic maps. Manuscripts, letters, pamphlets, broadsides, maps, newspapers, in addition to books and periodicals, are included in the collection.

The department also serves as the archive for all official Stony Brook University publications. The University Archives includes printed, manuscript, and ephemeral materials created by the administration, faculty, staff, and students at Stony Brook. A new exhibit has been mounted outside of the department in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the University.

We invite the university community and the public to explore our unique collections.

CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY

The State University College on Long Island held its first classes on September 17, 1957 at Planting Fields,
the majestic 350-acre former estate of benefactor
William Robertson Coe. Classes were held in Oyster Bay while a new campus was prepared in Stony Brook, on 480 acres donated by philanthropist Ward Melville.